Packaging



.AWTMLI 2 sheets-sheet `1 L. H. CARGILL PACKAGING May 3, 1949.

Filed Aug: 14, 1947 A T TORNE YS L. H. CARGILL PACKAGING 'May 3, 1949.

Filed Aug. V14,V 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SQTELEVE' /NVEN TOR ATTORN YS Patented May 3, 1949 PACKAGING Louis H. Cargill, Jenkintown, Pa., assigner to Specialty Packaging Company, Prospect Park,

Pa., a partnership Application August 14, 1947, Serial No. 768,698

1 Claim.

This invention relates to packages.

Considerable diiculty has been experienced in packaging articles which are long and thin, such as rotor blades for rotary Wing aircraft. Such articles are critical as to maintenance of a predetermined angularity and alignment, balance and superficial contours under all storage, shipping and service conditions, and the packages must, therefore, be capable of passing various dropping and analogous tests, with substantially complete isolation of the packaged blade from such shocks. Such rotor blades usually must be assembled in sets of packages for storage or shipment, after a carefully matched set for a given rotor installation has ben assembled, with each blade packaged in its own individual container.

It is among the objects of this invention: to improve the art of packaging; to improve the art of packaging blades for propellers and rotors and the like; to provide a simplied and economical package for long, thin articles such as rot-or blades in which the article is thoroughly isolated and protected against shocks and' impacts with a simplied form of package assembly; and to provide other improvements as will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this description:

Fig. 1 represents a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section through the assembled package of this invention, with a packaged rotor blade illustrated as mounted therein;

Fig. 2 represents a transverse vertical section through the blade-supporting portion of the assembly taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 represents a transverse vertical section through the blade root-supporting portion of the assembly taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

The container comprises an external box structure formed of end walls I and I I, elongated lateral or side walls respectively I2 and I3, a lowermost or real floor I4, elongated to form the external bottom of the container, and an elongated relatively removable lid I5. The Word elongated is used as these containers are frequently of the order of twenty-one feet or more in length, although the actual length will be only that necessary to house yor enclose the particular rotor blade in question. For this purpose the walls, bottom, and lid will be formed of laminated or multi-ply sheets of the proper length or of short sheets of laminated board notched or cut back at the ends to form overlapping mutual extensions, so as in total extent to form the necessary (Cl. 20G- 46) length of siding or boarding required. These shorter lengths, if used, are suitably secured together and all of the side and bottom strips and end pieces are secured together and to suitable corner and reinforcing strips as to form a rigid sheet as desired, according to conventional box constructions.

The first change from a standard box of general formation and for general purposes, is to provide a false oor I6 formed similarly to the other sheets, and held in spaced relation to the real floor by suitable transverse cross strips, battens or joists, such as 2 x 4 strips, or the like, I1, and the latter are provided in parallel spaced relation at intervals for the full length of the box.

The article to be packaged is comprised, illustratively, of a rotor or propeller or like blade 20, which is yof airfoil contour 2| adjacent the tip end of the blade and for the major spanwise extent thereof, and at the root end is reduced into and terminates in a generally cylindrical usually asymmetrical blade root portion 22,. The characteristics of the supports for the extreme ends of the blade are therefore .radically different. To simplify the problem of mounting such a rotor blade 20 in isolated support in the box, two metallic open-topped generally C-shaped metal bands or frames 23 are provided, respectively towards the ends of the box described, and extending transversely thereof. Each C frame faces upwardly and comprises a lower supporting portion 24, bolted to the false floor I6 in any suitable manner, as by bolts 25, and leading by vertical side walls 26 and 21, juxtaposed to and reinforcing side walls I2 and I3, into the upper horizontally aligned spaced terminal supporting ends 28 and 30-, generally parallel with the lower supporting portion 24. There is a transverse clearance 3| between the Ispaced terminal ends of the supporting portions 28 and 30 of the straps or bands. The side wall frame portions 26 and 21 are preferably bolted to the side walls I2 and I3, as by bolts 32. It is a preferred form of the invention to locate the relatively rigid supporting frames 23 longitudinally at such points on the false floor so that each is disposed substantially medially between a pair of the parallel supporting stringers or cross-strips I'l for the false floor, so as to utilize the iiexibility and resilience of the false floor for the absorption of vibrations and shocks, in addition to the insulating properties of the isolating supports to be described. The supporting frame 23 may be formed of relatively heavy stock of relatively narrow material so as to have a rather restricted longitudinal extent,

in order to save both weight and expense, alrubber mounting element is of the order of one though obviously the precise sizes of the frames inch in thickness. When the blade 20 has been will be a matter to be determined in accordance inserted downwardly from the top to the posiwith the weight and size of the articles to be tion of the leading edge there-of in the lower perpackaged. In order to distinguish between the 5 marient portion of the assembly, the sponge rubtwo supporting frames 23, for purposes of this ber will have been compressed to a thickness of descriptiomtheairfoilsection-supportingelement the-order of .onervhalf aminging,A Whether this is will be characteri'zedffasqthe ele'r'nerlt Agi; while'the a .',urififq'ijni-fSi;ompressiontlnltiuglioin th'egarea, or root-supporting element will be identied as eleany approximate average compression depends ment B. lo upon the closeness with which the mounting fol- It is prefered according to this invention, that' lows the airfoil contours. Certainly, it is prethe blades be supported and mounted in the'fboX--- fered to reduce the thickness of the sponge rubwith the chord of the bladeegtendi g verticallylgx throughout its area. It will be generally parallel with thel'l's' 'e'f'wal h-l 2fan d gfl ortion 4l of the xed bracket of the container. To accomplish this expedi'- 15 y in' and through the space `3| tiously, the blade-contacting ,and root or blade V tovyard, 3butlear of, the lower transverse supmount contacting portions arereachfresfpel'ctivel-xf'l portigprtifr'ffbf the bracket or frame.

arranged in tWO halves 01 tWO GomplementalprfThe;upper removable portion of the bracket tions, one of which is permanently mounted on assembly of the airfoil portion of the assembly tharespeetivesuppo rely s orbands 23,and gg comprises two. snacgi aligned pla i' conges ands een,

Comprising spa@ Y. -Fr1lv1 o sr. f-l'u en inserted vertically 7downwardly upon said lining. The complemental removable portion of the root clamp comprises the transversely aligned spaced wings 6| and 62, connected by the arcuate centerI section 63, internally carrying the arcuate layer of sponge rubber 64, and the connecting divergent arms 65, and 66. After the cylindrical root or blade mount has been disposed in its permanentJ supporting portion 58 and 60, the upper portion of the support is moved vertically downwardly until the respective wings of the xed and movable elements are juxtaposed, then the bolts 61 are tightened to force the upper Icap member 6l, 65, 63, 66, and 62 into tight rm clamping relation upon the blade root. Thus, the entire blade will be held at the root and the tip in an isolating and cushioned support in which, regardless of the direc tion of the impact on the external casing or box, the delicately balanced rotor blade will be shielded against all disruptive shocks and strains. The degree of ycompression of the sponge rubber is indicated by the distance between the dash and dot lines of Figs. 2 and 3 indicating uncompressed sponge rubber, and the solid lines of the compressed sponge rubber.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A package for rotor blades having an airfoil section and a reduced mounting portion, comprising a generally oblong box, a, pair of generally C-shaped frames mounted in longitudinally spaced relation transversely in the box with the open side of the C-shaped frames extending upwardly to form transversely spaced supporting arms generally parallel with the bottom of the box, a permanent airfoil section-receiving element comprising a pair of generally aligned spaced wing elements connected by a trough of partial airfoil shape bent downwardly out of the line of the Wings in the space between the said supporting arms and toward the closed opposite side of the frame, means for isolatingly mounting the said wings on the said arms in a substantially shock-proof mounting, a yielding layer disposed in said trough in position to receive and to be compressed by an edge of the airfoil section of the blade, a complemental detachable airfoil section engaging element comprising a pair of generally aligned spaced wing elements connected by a trough bent upwardly out of the line of its said Wings, a layer of yielding material disposed in the last mentioned trough and arranged to be compressed by the other edge of said airfoil section when the complemental element is pushed upon the blade, means connecting the respective juxtaposed wings to establish clamping of the airfoil section of the blade, means for resiliently clamping the reduced mounting portion of said blade, and means for mounting the last mentioned means isolatingly upon the other of said pair of C-shaped frames.

LOUIS H. CARGILL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

